


Closure

by wickeddot24



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 4 very short short-stories, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Hugs, I love hugs, all in one chapter, idk what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26255746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickeddot24/pseuds/wickeddot24
Summary: “You won’t be alone in this. During the entire ceremony, Aang will be right next to you.” She moves her hands to his cheeks, and forces him to look at her. He has dark circles under his eyes, and his head feels heavy in her arms.“Me and the rest of the group will be in the crowd,” she continues. “We will be incredibly proud of everything you and Aang have accomplished so far. And for the rest of this journey, I will be right here whenever you need me to be.”ORKatara and Zuko grow closer after the Agni Kai. - Starting right after the end of the war. Zutara-centered snippets of what could have happened.
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 112





	Closure

**Author's Note:**

> My first Zutara fic! I recently rewatched ATLA for the third time and I love these babies. English is not my main language, sorry if there are any mistakes.

**_ Aftermath _ **

Katara sits on the edge of the bed, facing the door. Her eyes are closed, her hands folded in her lap. Even though the Agni Kai ended hours ago, she still feels the heat and electricity lingering in the air. She still hears Azula’s screams turning into hysterical sobs. And no matter how hard she tries to get the image out of her head, she can still see Zuko jumping in front of Azula’s lightning strike.

Fear and anger had completely taken over at that point, making it possible for her to defeat Azula and heal Zuko, who had been close to dying.

She opens her eyes slowly, eyes immediately falling on the Fire Nation symbol on the door. _How can one Nation cause so much destruction and pain?_ The thought makes her vision grow blurry, and her throat starts to ache from the growing lump. She takes a shivering breath, and then corrects herself.

One person. It wasn’t the entire Fire Nation, it was just one person. And that person can’t harm anyone ever again.

After a hundred years of fighting, the Great War is finally over. The future is looking bright again.

So why does she feel so sad?

The door opens slowly, making Katara jump up from the bed. She turns away and walks towards the window, stepping into the moonlight that creeps through the metalwork.

“Oh, sorry. I should have knocked first.”

“You don’t have to knock,” Katara says as she runs her thumbs over her cheeks. She turns around and smiles. “This is still your room, Zuko.”

“Right.” Zuko chuckles awkwardly as he steps into the room, closing the door behind him. He runs a hand over his face, briefly rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger before looking back at her. “My father has been imprisoned at the Capital City prison and Azula is… being taken care of. We won’t be hearing from either of them for a while,” he says. “I thought you should know that.”

Katara nods, not being able to take her eyes off of the bandages wrapped around Zuko’s chest. They’re colored pink at his sternum, right where Azula had struck him, meaning that the wound is still bleeding.

Choosing to ignore Katara’s stare, Zuko clears his throat to catch her attention again. “The others are in the dining hall downstairs. Aang thinks it’s a good idea for all of us to get together and talk about everything that’s happened. He says it’s good for the mind and soul, or something like that.”

“Okay,” Katara says, but she doesn’t budge. It’s like her entire body is frozen, her feet nailed to the ground. She can’t move, she can only stare. “You need another healing session. I don’t think your family’s physician is very familiar with wounds like yours. And I’ve found out that I can take pain, so maybe I can take some of yours and --”

Zuko interrupts her by walking towards her, closing the distance between them. He places his hands on her shoulders and tries to reassure her with a smile. “Katara, I’m fine. Besides, I don’t want you to overdo yourself. I know it costs you a lot of energy.”

Katara finally looks up at him. “I don’t care,” she whispers. “You have to rest. When Aang got struck by Azula’s lightning, he was in and out of consciousness for weeks. You should lay down or --”

“Aang died. I didn’t.”

Tears start to well up in Katara’s eyes, and she swallows thickly. “But you could have. If I had stayed put, she wouldn’t have aimed for me. If I had just stayed out of it, none of this would have happened. This is all my fault.”

“Katara, no.” Zuko’s hands slide from her shoulders to her neck, pulling her into a hug. “None of this is your fault. This is no one’s fault except for Azula’s. So don’t ever blame yourself for this, okay?”

For a moment, she tries to bite down her sobs, not wanting to appear vulnerable. But there’s something about the way Zuko holds her. It makes her feel safe. And deep down, she knows Zuko would never judge her.

So she lets go.

She lets go of everything she’s been holding up, and cries.

And it is only now that she realizes just how frightened she was when Azula had struck him. After he had betrayed her in Old Ba Sing Se, she had wanted to kill him. And when she had threatened him after joining the group, she had meant every single word.

But after they found Yon Rha, things started to change, and Zuko slowly fought his way back into her heart. Now, she can’t imagine living in a world without him.

Minutes have passed when Katara finally lets go of Zuko. “I’m sorry,” she says quietly, drying her cheeks with her sleeves.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Zuko replies, stroking her hair before taking a step back. “You can always come to me if you want to talk.”

Katara nods and takes a deep breath. “I would like to go to the rest of the group now.”

*.*.*

**_ Guard(ian)s _ **

_“Zuko!”_

_Her lungs feel like they’re being stung by a dozen needles, her legs burn like fire, begging her to stop running. Behind her, Azula’s screams turn into hysterical laughter. Every few seconds, the world around her turns bright blue._

_“You will never get to him!”_

_Azula’s right. No matter how fast she runs, she can’t seem to get any closer to his lifeless body lying on the ground. “Zuko!” Her hoarse voice echoes through the courtyard. Her entire body hurts, but she keeps going._

_And then, just like that, she’s sitting right next to him. His eyes are closed and his mouth hangs open._

_“You’re going to be okay,” Katara whispers between breaths as she pulls the water from her bottle. She brings her hands to his chest and starts the healing process._

_But nothing happens._

_The pain doesn’t enter her body, the bleeding doesn’t stop, and Zuko doesn’t open his eyes._

_She moves her hand higher, already knowing what she won’t find._

“Wake up.”

Katara jolts up from the chair, almost collapsing into a guard. Her knees feel like they’re about to give in, but Katara quickly steadies herself. “What’s wrong?” she pants. “Is he okay?”

“Prince Zuko is just fine,” the guard says. “It is you that I am worried about. I heard you calling out for Prince Zuko. I was afraid something had happened to him, so I entered the room. But the both of you were still sleeping.”

“Oh.” Katara runs a hand through her sweaty, tangled hair. “It’s fine. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m not supposed to be here.”

After she had met up with the rest of the group last night (and after all of them spent an entire hour awkwardly glancing at each other while Sokka enthusiastically celebrated their win), Katara had offered Zuko another healing session, which he gladly accepted.

When the session was over, she had made herself comfortable in the chair. She just wanted to stay with him until he fell asleep. But she had gotten too comfortable. She looks down on the blanket that had slid off of her when the guard had woken her, not remembering having a blanket before she fell asleep.

Zuko must have woken up at one point, or maybe she’d fallen asleep long before he did.

“Where are my friends?” she asks.

“Your friends are in their assigned chambers,” the guard answers. He leans in a little and clears his throat before he continues. “Except for the Kyoshi Warrior. I saw her sneaking into your brother’s bedroom.”

Katara chuckles. She starts to fumble with her shirt as she glances at Zuko. “Do you, um… Do you think Zuko would mind if I stayed here? I just want to keep an eye on him in case something happens.”

The guard shakes his head. “I think he would appreciate that. He trusts you.” With those words, he turns around and leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

_He trusts you._ The words make Katara’s cheek grow warm.

She walks over to the bed and looks down on him. He’s tangled in a bundle of sheets and bandages. His entire body is shivering, indicating that Zuko is either cold, in a lot of pain or caught in the middle of a bad dream.

She bends over and pulls the blanket up to his chin, and strokes his cheek. She brings her face closer to his, gently pressing her lips against his forehead. “Everything is going to be okay,” she whispers.

Then she returns to the chair, and doesn’t sleep for the rest of the night.

*.*.*

**_ Collided _ **

When Katara knocks on his door three days later, she doesn’t get the response she was hoping for. Instead, she gets the one she had been expecting.

“What!” Zuko lets out a grunt of frustration, immediately followed by a groan of pain. Although she has been healing him intensively for the past few days, Zuko’s pain doesn’t seem to get any better, and he still bleeds from his wound more often than it should.

Aang had told Zuko that the only reason why his injury won’t heal, is because he won’t let it. “Inner peace will bring outer peace,” Aang had said. “Once you’ve come to terms with everything that has happened, your body will be healing faster. You just need time.”

“I don’t have time! I need this fixed now!” Zuko had snapped back, and they didn’t talk about it again.

Their healing sessions had grown quieter as well, apart from the shared smiles and the occasional “How does this feel?” and “Thank you for doing this.” But the silences between them were never embarrassing. They were peaceful and somewhat relaxing, even though Zuko had been preparing non-stop for today.

Because today is Zuko’s coronation.

A very stressful and exciting event, that has been keeping him awake every night. Katara knows, because she has been secretly witnessing his outbursts in the garden in the middle of the night. He would send fire at everything and nothing, screaming at no one in particular.

Every night, she wanted to run up to him and hug and soothe him. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, just like she did the first night. But she was well aware that this is something he has to do alone.

Katara opens the door to his new bedroom. In any other situation, she would ask him what _on earth_ his problem is. But today, she smiles at him. “I’ll forgive you for your unnecessary anger because I know you’re nervous,” she says as she closes the door behind her.

“Sorry,” Zuko mumbles. “I thought you were another guard.”

“Nope, just me.” Katara folds her hands behind her back and glances around the room that once belonged to his parents. “I see you’ve gotten rid of, you know… _the painting_.”

Zuko hisses as he puts on his shirt, looking at the now-empty wall across the bed. “I don’t have to look at his face to…” He trails off, making Katara look at him. His eyes are still focused on the wall, his teeth gritted.

She walks over to him and places a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay if you want to postpone the coronation, Zuko. Everyone knows what happened. They will understand.”

“No. These people need a leader.” He starts to button his shirt with shaking hands. “Besides, they’re already here. They’re out there, waiting for me and I’m in here, and I can’t even button this stupid shirt, and _ugh_!” Zuko drops his head and lets out a shivering, hot breath. “I can’t do this.”

Katara brings her hands to Zuko’s shirt and continues buttoning his shirt, trying to ignore the feeling in her stomach. “Hey, you can do this. Like you said, these people need a leader. And who would be a better leader than you?”

When she’s done buttoning his shirt, she fixes his collar. “You won’t be alone in this. During the entire ceremony, Aang will be right next to you.” She moves her hands to his cheeks, and forces him to look at her. He has dark circles under his eyes, and his head feels heavy in her arms.

“Me and the rest of the group will be in the crowd,” she continues. “We will be incredibly proud of everything you and Aang have accomplished so far. And for the rest of this journey, I will be right here whenever you need me to be.”

Zuko nods once. He lowers his gaze to her lips for a second, before looking back at her eyes. He lets his head drop so their foreheads touch. “Thank you, Katara. For everything.”

“You’re welcome,” Katara whispers. The feeling in her stomach returns, and Katara knows she has to take a step back before she makes a decision that could ruin everything. But then --

“May I kiss you?”

Katara moves her head away from his, and she feels her cheeks growing warm. Zuko’s eyes never leave hers, while she frantically searches his face for a sign that will tell her that he’s joking, he’s not serious, _this is probably a dream, right_?

But then she meets his eyes again, and they’re filled with so much tenderness and love, it makes Katara’s head spin. She moves her hands from his cheeks to his neck, holding on to little strands of hair. For the first time in months, her heart races in her chest for a good reason.

The kiss is short and simple, but strong enough to send shivers down Katara’s spine. The tingly feeling in her stomach makes its way up her throat, making her giggle. When she opens her eyes, Zuko is already looking at her, a smile appearing on his face.

A knock on the door startles both of them. Zuko rolls his eyes. “Yes?”

“I apologize for interrupting, Prince Zuko. But everyone is waiting for you.”

“Duty calls,” Katara whispers against his lips. She takes a step back, biting her lower lip. Her hands slide from his neck to his arms, all the way down his hands. She quickly steals another kiss before turning away from him. “I’ll find you at the party.”

*.*.*

**_ Celebrations _ **

Katara leans on the railing of the balcony with her elbows, her hands running up and down her own arms. Behind her, the music grows louder, a sign that the party has officially started. Maybe that’s the reason why her entire body is covered in goosebumps.

Or maybe it’s because she’s overlooking the courtyard where the Agni Kai had taken place. The palace guards and workmen had tried their best to clean up all the mess, but there were still traces of the fight.

A part of the rooftop is still blackened from Zuko’s fire, and the chains that Katara used to capture Azula are still lying on the ground. Their screams still echo through the air.

Sokka’s voice snaps her out of her thoughts. “Hey, do you know where Zuko is? I’ve been looking for him _everywhere_ , but I can’t find him.” He hops on his crutches towards her while nibbling on a fishbone. He trips at least twice. “At least, I think I’ve been everywhere. This place is huge.”

“I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him since the coronation. He said he would meet me here, but…” Katara keeps her eyes on the courtyard, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. “Do you think something happened to him?”

“Maybe he’s just busy. Becoming Firelord isn’t easy, especially when your predecessor was your murderous freak of a father who was sick for power and almost declared war to all the other Nations.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Sokka rests against the railing and pokes her arm. “I’m sure he’s fine.” He leans closer to her and lowers his voice, even though they’re the only ones on the balcony. “And his crazy family is imprisoned, so they can’t get to him either.”

Katara looks at him and frowns. “Please don’t say that ever again. Especially not when he’s around.”

Her brother chuckles as he turns around to look back at the party. He grabs Katara’s hand, turning her around as well. “We did it, sis. We saved the world.”

Katara starts scanning the room. Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors are in the middle of the dancefloor, all dancing together. Aang is talking with a group of people from different Nations, and Toph sits at a table with the remaining Freedom Fighters, laughing at something that the Duke is telling them.

“I guess we did.”

Sokka throws the fishbone shamelessly over his shoulder. “I’m proud of us.”

“Me too,” Katara says. “I’m proud of you. Do you even realize what you did? You fought firebenders with one hand and a broken leg, all while keeping Toph from falling. That’s… insane.”

“I know, I’m amazing,” Sokka says matter-of-factly. “If it wasn’t for me, we would have never left the Water Tribe.”

“Excuse me? You hated leaving the Water Tribe!”

Sokka chuckles. “I didn’t hate it, I just -- Zuko!”

Katara’s head snaps up, immediately finding his golden eyes in the crowd. Her cheeks grow warm, and the tingly feeling returns to her stomach. She smiles at him, and he returns the gesture. “Well,” she says, turning her attention back to her brother. “You should go over. You were looking for him, weren’t you?”

“Um, I was, but… I changed my mind?” He grins sheepishly, and Katara just _knows_ that Sokka is on to something. He takes ahold of his crutches and hops away without saying anything else.

With her heart in her throat, Katara turns away from the party, back to the courtyard. She takes a deep breath to steady herself, but then gasps when a familiar, warm hand grabs hers, turning her around toward him.

Zuko’s scans Katara’s entire body before finally meeting her eyes again, and smiles. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”

Katara looks down at her dress. It’s a long, dark blue Water Tribe dress, with white pearls around her waist. “It belonged to my mother once. She sewed it herself.”

“She did?” Zuko asks, taking one of the pearls between his fingers. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself, Your Majesty.” Katara bows mockingly.

Zuko chuckles. “You don’t have to do that.” His smile fades as he leans with his back against the railing. “I just had my first meeting. I feel like I’ve made a huge mistake.”

“Hey,” Katara says quietly. She places herself between his legs, puts her fingers under his chin and forces him to look up at her. “This is your first day. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed, but don’t start doubting yourself. Yes, the road will be a little rocky in the beginning, but like I said before, you’re not walking it alone.”

There is a moment of silence between them, and then Zuko smiles. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Zuko wraps his arms around Katara’s body, pulling her closer to his body. “So… If this _thing_ between you and me goes well, do you think you’ll visit more often?”

Katara leans in, planting a small kiss on his lips. “Definitely.”


End file.
